DOCUMENT: Sex, Crime

Couple Had Sex In Rear Of Police Squad Car

Cop suspended for letting suspects get frisky

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Squad Car Tryst

FEBRUARY 24--A Florida cop has been disciplined for allowing a couple under arrest to smoke, kiss, cuddle, and engage in sexual activity while they were in the rear of a police cruiser, according to an Internal Affairs report.

In July, Officer Doug McNeal of the Fort Pierce Police Department arrested Zachary Moellendick, 23, and Krista Leigh, 24, for allegedly stealing jewelry and a baby toy from a Walmart. Moellendick was also charged with trespass since Walmart security had previously ordered him to stay away from the store.

McNeal initially handcuffed Leigh behind her back, but later moved her handcuffs “from the rear to front to allow her to smoke a cigarette while standing outside the patrol car.” Moellendick, who was using crutches, was not handcuffed by McNeal.

Leigh and Moellendick were subsequently placed in the rear of McNeal’s squad car, which the officer drove to the county jail. As recorded on a police cam, the suspects (seen above) cuddled and kissed en route to the St. Lucie County lockup. At one point, Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” played on the car’s radio.

When the police vehicle arrived at the jail’s sally port, McNeal allowed Leigh and Moellendick to smoke a cigarette inside the car. Moellendick, whose hands were free, had a cigarette tucked behind his ear and a lighter in his pants pocket.

After enjoying a smoke, the couple then engaged in sexual contact. An Internal Affairs report noted that “due to Leigh and Moellendick’s body posture and arm movements, it is apparent Moellendick and Leigh are sexually pleasuring each other with their hands.”

Investigators did not base that conclusion solely on footage recorded in the cruiser. During questioning by an Internal Affairs detective, Leigh said that Moellendick “fingered” her while she gave him a “hand job.” Moellendick told the investigator that he “got her off and she got me off.”

While McNeal said he saw nothing wrong with the couple kissing and cuddling in the car, he claimed not to have seen any sexual activity. A female cop who watched the arrestees while the cop car was in the sally port, declared, “I think they’re making babies back there,” according to the police cam footage.  

McNeal was suspended without pay for 20 days due to his violation of multiple police policies.

The Internal Affairs report was released last week, at the same time Moellendick was being released from the county jail (where he spent about seven months following his conviction for theft and trespass). On February 14, Leigh was convicted of misdemeanor theft.

Moellendick, a convicted felon who has served prison time for felony domestic battery, and Leigh are pictured in the above mug shots and the below Facebook photo. In a recent Facebook post, Moellendick refers to Leigh as his wife, while she uses his surname on her Facebook page. (7 pages)